The Tyfu i Ddysgu (or Growing to Learn) project is based on the idea that Education for Sustainability or Sustainable Development should not be restricted to the lecture theatre but should be active, participatory and rooted in communities and places.

Tyfu i Ddysgu involves five community gardens around Cardiff and a small group of students at different levels of university study: our Community Learning Ambassadors. It operates as a pilot project to explore a participatory approach to Service Learning within Education for Sustainability. Service Learning is a teaching and learning method which combines community service with structured learning.

The different learning projects draw on students’ own skills and interests and respond to issues identified by the community gardens. In the participatory approach we take, the students and community gardeners collaborate to plan the projects, decide on learning objectives and evaluate them during and after. This design and evaluation process is carried out across four workshops (2018/19), whilst the projects themselves are implemented in February and March 2019. For more information go to Workshops, Learning Projects, and Community Gardens.

This residency will provide an artist with a working space inspired by nature and community action. Over the four-week residency the artist will work on a piece that is reflective in some way of the time spent in the garden. As well as working on their piece, the artist will participate in the gardening, engaging in activities that can range from woodwork to planting. At the end of the residency there will be a small showcase of the created piece. Any artists are welcome to apply, from poets to painters to musicians. Note: This is an unfunded residency, the idea being that the artist has the means and the capacity to create the piece and participate in the gardening on a voluntary basis.

Aims

The aims of this residency are that the artist will benefit from the experience of working in a community garden, and that the garden and local community will benefit from the piece of work created by the artist. It will probe the connection between art, community and nature, with the common link being the way in which we draw on and interact with the resources around us in a creative way.

Riverside

Riverside community garden is a beautiful space situated beside Bute Park. It has multiple plots, a pond, and a sheltered hub which includes a handbuilt woodfire oven often used for making pizza. People who participate in the garden activities include a regular core team and various volunteers. The garden is open Wednesday and Friday, and the first Saturday of the month 10am-4pm. The artist would not be expected to attend all of these time slots, but would be asked to spend at least four hours a week volunteering with the gardening activities, with the rest of the time spent creating the piece. Riverside can provide a sheltered space with a table and chair, but as this space is not insulated the artist should dress warmly! The resident artist should be enthusiastic about, or at least have a strong interest in gardening and the outdoors. If you are put off by mud and insects then this is probably not the residency for you!

This
project is part of a larger project in sustainability. Here, the concept of
sustainability is understood as more than just ‘avoiding depletion’ of
resources, it means drawing on what’s around you in a way that has lasting
benefits to you, the wider community, and your environment. In this way, the
creative process, growing food, and community participation are all understood
through a sustainable lens.

This residency will provide an artist with a working space inspired by nature and community action. Over the four-week residency the artist will work on a mural that is reflective in some way of the time spent in the garden.For St. Peter’s Garden, we request artists specialising in painting, for we are specifically looking for a mural to go on the walls of the Quiet Garden.

As well as working on their piece, the artist will participate in the gardening, engaging in activities that can range from landscaping, planting fruit trees, or even planning out and designing parts of the gardens. At the end of the residency there will be a small event to exhibit the mural and round off the residency.

On any one day of their residency, there might be an opportunity for the artist to conduct a painting workshop for an art group that regularly visits and volunteers in the garden. The objective of the workshop is just to create a peaceful and relaxed environment for the group through painting, in any material that the artist might be comfortable with (oil, acrylic, water-based).

Note: This is an unfunded residency, the idea being that the artist has the means and the capacity to create the piece and participate in the gardening on a voluntary basis.

Aims

The aims of this residency are that the artist will benefit from the experience of working in a community garden, and that the garden and local community will benefit from the piece of work created by the artist. It will probe the connection between art, community and nature, with the common link being the way we draw on and interact with the resources around us in a creative way.

About the place

St. Peter’s Garden, located in Fairwater, is a hidden gem featuring a combination of beautiful flower beds, vegetable beds as well as being a nature reserve. One of its highlights is a beautiful “Quiet Garden”, a tranquil, serene nook perfect for creative contemplation, prayer and peace – a wonderful and unusual working space. The mural created by the artist will be put up on the walls of the “Quiet Garden” – a legacy addition to the serene and beautiful environment of the place. Below is a picture of the space:

St. Peter’s Garden is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9:30 am -3:30 pm, and on the first Saturday of every month between 9:30 – 12:30 pm. The artist would not be expected to attend all of these time slots, but to spend at least four hours a week volunteering with the gardening activities, with the rest of the time spent creating the piece. St. Peter’s has several outdoor benches where the artist can work, as well as a covered shelter inside – but if you want to work outside, please make sure you dress warmly!

To apply:

Please submit an application of less than 250 words. The application should include the following information:

Why you would like to participate in this residency

Pictures, attachments, or at least a description of some of your work

Your previous experience (if any) with community gardens (Not mandatory for the project)

Note. The resident artist should be enthusiastic about, or at least have a strong interest in gardening and the outdoors. If you are put off by mud and insects then this is probably not the residency for you!

This project is part of a larger project in sustainability. Here, the concept of sustainability means more than just ‘avoiding depletion’, it means drawing on the resources around you in a way that has lasting benefits to you, the wider community, and your environment. In this way, the creative process, growing food, and community participation are all understood through a sustainable lens.